Karui is barefoot. Her legs are scarred, as if she had been whipped. Small cuts cover her arms, as if she had fought against thorns. Her golden eyes scan the crowd in search of someone.
It doesn't take long for me to realize.
She's looking for her father.
The man who was supposed to protect her. Who should be there, crying, fighting for her.
To my left, Mrs. Momi collapses in tears, sobbing loudly. Mr. Inoichi holds her, but she looks like she's about to faint.
- No, no, no.
- No, no, no.
They tie Ino and Karui to the trunk, binding their hands in chains.
- No!
- No, no, no!
A hooded man advances. He pulls a dagger from his waist.
My breathing stops.
A scream escapes my throat.
I thought he was going to stab Karin.
But he didn't.
With a precise movement, the blade rips through Karui's black dress.
Then Ino's.
And there they are. Tied up. Half-naked.
In front of everyone.
- No, no, no, no.
I started to cry.
- NO! - I screamed, my voice cutting through the air like a blade. Ino turned to me, her eyes wide, her blonde hair whipping through the air in a golden arc.
- Ino Yamanaka and Karui Uzumaki - announced the man, his voice reverberating through space. - Selected, daughters of Fire, they were found in obscene, abominable and intimate acts, totally repugnant to each other.
On the big screen, the images exploded like an incontestable sentence. Ino and Karui were standing together, their faces pressed together, their fingers tangled in each other's hair. They were smiling. Their eyes were shining.
- They broke their vow of loyalty to our Prince Naruto. They have committed a crime of treason against the royal family.
The man bellowed, seeking validation from the crowd - and it was given. The shouts grew deafening, approving the sentence without hesitation.
How could they agree to this?
It was Ino - the witty one, the reliable one, the loyal one. It was Karui - applauded and admired by these same people until a few moments ago. None of them deserved this hatred. No one deserved it.
Ino cried, without strength. Karui, beside her, clenched her fists, determined to be strong for both of them.
- It's a crime punishable by death!
The ground disappeared beneath my feet.
- But in his great mercy, the prince will spare the lives of these two traitors.
The crowd applauded. If I hadn't been completely stunned, I might have done the same - like my brother, like the other girls around me. But I couldn't take my eyes off Ino.
On the big screen, her expressions of desire and pleasure were displayed without shame, without compassion.
"Ino had never fallen in love with anyone. She had never loved any boy."
- I love you, Karui! - Ino shouted, her voice breaking in tears.
The silence that followed lasted a second.
- Ino Yamanaka and Karui Uzumaki, you have been stripped of your castes. You are Eight. The lowest of the low.
As punishment for the shame imposed on our royal highness, you will receive fifteen lashes.
May your scars be the eternal reminder of your abomination.
The sound of wood meeting water echoed through the air. Long sticks were taken from a bucket and shaken in the air a few times, testing their resistance. The dry sound cut through my spine before they even touched the skin.
- No.
The first blow fell on Karui.
When the stick hit Ino's bare back, she screamed.
The sound went through my chest like a knife. That scream would haunt me forever.
- NO! - my own voice came ripping out.
- I... I'm going to faint, Mom... - mumbled Pakura. Next to me, Hinata covered her face with her hands.
None of this made any difference.
My body moved on its own. I jumped up, my heart pounding. I was going to get them out of there. I was going to put myself in their place. I was going to do something, anything.
Fuck what I was going to do. I just had to do it.
- Naruto! Naruto, make it stop!
A hand grabbed my arm.
- You need to sit down.
- Naruto, please! I'm begging you!
- Sit down! - the guard pulled me tighter.
But I couldn't sit down. I couldn't watch this happen.
- Get away from me! - I shouted at the guard, kicking him as hard as I could. But he didn't let go.
- Two! - the voice of the man on stage echoed, and another blow came down on Ino's back.
Another scream. I would never be able to sleep again. Karui, on the other hand, didn't utter a sound. No tears fell from her eyes.
- Naruto! Naruto! MAKE IT STOP! YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT STOP!
He heard. I knew he did. I saw when he closed his eyes and swallowed. But he didn't move. He didn't say anything. He didn't even look at me.
- Three.
Ino's crying was pure suffering. The pain was unbearable even to hear. There were still twelve to go.
- Sakura, sit down! - ordered my mother, her skin as pale as paper.
Moegi began to cry, sobbing in Konan's arms.
- Let me go! Let me go! - I shouted at the guard. - NARUTO!
I was burning with hatred. Hate for being trapped. Hate because Hinata was crying and Pakura was on the verge of vomiting, when Ino needed action, not tears. Hate because Naruto wouldn't listen to me.
The only thing that gave me a shred of relief was Karui. Despite dripping sweat and trembling in pain, she still managed to mumble words to Ino.
- It'll... be over... soon... - she whispered.
Tomatoes flew. Feces. Earth. Anything the crowd could throw.
ABOMINATION.
They were abominable for loving who they loved.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't right.
- SIX!
- I... I love you... - Karui stammered.
I couldn't stand it any longer. I lunged forward to punch the guard, but he twisted my arm so hard I swore it would break. A cry of pain escaped my throat, and I finally managed to get Naruto's attention.
- GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY SISTER! - Pain roared, punching the guard in the jaw. The blow opened a gap. On an impulse, I broke free and jumped over the railing.
- INO! INO! - I shouted, shooting across the stage. I didn't have a plan. All I knew was that I had to get to her, knock down one of the executioners, do something.
I almost touched the log, but brutal hands grabbed me, pulling me back. Two guards. I struggled, kicked, screamed - all to no avail.
And then I saw it.
Karui's back, exposed, in living flesh. Her skin ripped, torn, hanging in disgusting, bloody strips.